Sister of North Korea's leader likens South to 'mongrel,' blames U.S. for alleged drone incursions

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, demanded the United States be held accountable for alleged drone incursions into Pyongyang’s airspace in her third consecutive statement since Saturday.

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un [YONHAP]

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, likened South Korea to a 'mongrel' dog on Monday as she demanded the United States be held accountable for alleged drone incursions into Pyongyang’s airspace in her third consecutive statement since Saturday.

"We know clearly that the South Korean military scum are the main culprits behind the drone incident over Pyongyang," Kim said in a terse two-sentence statement released through the state-media Korean Central News Agency.

"If the sovereignty of a nuclear-armed nation is violated by the mutts trained by the Americans, it is the owner who raised the mongrels who must take responsibility," Kim added.

The statement comes after North Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Friday evening accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang on three separate occasions — Oct. 3, 9, and 10 — allegedly to drop anti-North Korea leaflets. However, South Korea’s Defense Ministry questioned the authenticity of the claims, arguing that North Korea has provided no clear evidence of the incident. The ministry has maintained its position of strategic ambiguity and refused to confirm whether South Korea was involved.

In the days since the accusations, Kim and North Korea’s Ministry of Defense have continuously raised the level of rhetoric, issuing multiple statements warning of potential retaliation against South Korea if further drone infiltrations occur.

On Sunday evening, in fiery remarks released soon after the North Korean military ordered front-line artillery units to "fully prepare" to open fire, Kim described South Korea's actions as "an unpardonable, malicious challenge" and accused the South of attempting to "light a fuse for the outbreak of a war."

She further lashed out, saying South Koreans "will be in a fit of hysteria until their miserable deaths."

"They should immediately opt for guaranteeing the prevention of recurrence of such provocation as violating the airspace of another country," Kim added.

The North Korean Minister of Defense echoed Kim's accusations in a separate statement, claiming the South Korean military was responsible for the alleged drone infiltrations. The ministry warned that any future drone incursions would be considered an act of war.

Both statements were featured prominently on the front page of North Korea's Rodong Sinmun on Monday.

An image of what North Korea claims is a South Korean unmanned aerial vehicle (translated), left, and flyers (translated), right, released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Friday. [CHUN YU-JIN]

South Korea's Unification Ministry downplayed the North's accusations, attributing the regime's rhetoric to internal insecurities.

"North Korea has a history of forming and exaggerating external crises to consolidate its weak internal solidarity and control its population," said ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam during a regular press briefing Monday. "This abrupt and unusual drone case may have a similar purpose."

Koo pointed to past provocations, including the destruction of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong in 2020 and the land mine attack in 2016, as examples of North Korea creating crises to serve its own purposes.

South Korean National Security Advisor Shin Won-sik also downplayed the risk of war in an interview on Sunday, stating, "Unless North Korea is determined to commit suicide, it cannot think of starting a war." Shin's remarks were echoed by a stern warning from South Korea's Defense Ministry, which cautioned that any harm to South Korean citizens would result in the "end of the North Korean regime."

However, experts raised concerns that the current situation could escalate military tensions on the Korean Peninsula if not handled carefully.

"We need to be open to the possibility of North Korea starting a war to solve internal dissatisfaction," Prof. Lim Eul-chul of Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

"Whether this drone incident was fabricated or not, what matters is that North Korea is highly sensitive, and its hostility toward the Yoon Suk Yeol administration is at an all-time high," Lim said. "This is a time for the South Korean government to focus on diplomacy and crisis management to prevent a possible war."

UPDATE, Oct. 10 : Information about Kim's third and latest statement added.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]